Door operating mechanism



Feb. 4, 1936. J. w. SCROGGS DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed July 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l Y Scr'cyyq ATTORNEYS Feb. 4, 1936.

J. w. SCROGGS 9,

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed July 18, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 TI Q- 7 INVENTOR ATTOR N EYS Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE noon OPERATING MECHANISM Joseph W. Scruggs, Norman, Okla.

Application July 18, 1934, Serial No. 735,887

6 Claims. (01. 268-63) This invention relates to improvements in mechanisms for opening and closing garage doors, but more generally in operating mechanism for a variety of movable closures, and its objects are as follows:

First, to improve the garage door opener disclosed in application for patent filed by Joseph W. Scroggs, ,July 26, 1929, Serial No. 381,338, by eliminating the electrical reversing switch and generally simplifying the mechanism.

Second, to provide a mechanical motor operating rod which is subject to both mechanical operation (as by a passing automobile) and manual operation (as by the operator) to start the motor, said rod being additionally subject to strictly automatic operation to stop the .motor only as at the end of opening and closing movements of the doors or other closures.

Third, to provide an intermittent chain drive for moving the reciprocator either forwardly or backwardly, these movements being transferred to a pitman head which moves the doors according y.

Fourth, to cause a delayed pick-up of the pitman head thereby giving ,the reciprocator time within which to displacea lock bar from a locking position with respect to said pitman head.

Fifth, to provide a uni-directionally operative motor with an associated mechanical reversing means driven by the motor, said means causing the alternate opening and closing of doors or other closures by successive operations of the motor in the one direction, said mechanical reversing means also serving to automatically stop the motor after every opening and closing movement of the closures.

"In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a garage illustrating the general layout of the door operating mechanism, the latter being shown in side elevation.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the garage illustrating the operating mechanism in plan.

Figure 3 is a detail section of the motor controlling means taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan View of the tread mecha-- nism or so-called mechanical starter (parts heirg broken away), which is located out in front of the garage to be engaged by a wheel of the automobile.

Figure 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the automatically operable motor controlling mechanism, this being responsive to the foregoing tread plate.

Figure '7 is a cross section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the reciprocator.

Figure 9 is a detail plan view of the pitman 5 head, also illustrating the relationship of the door links, one of the locking bars and wedge.

Figure 10 is an enlarged plan View of the automatically operable motor controlling mechanism shown in Figure 2. 10

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the cooperation of the keeper with the locking bars for the purpose of holding the doors in the open and closed positions.

Located an appropriate distance from the 5 doors I, or equivalent movable closure, of the garage 2, say fifty to one hundred feet, is a tread mechanism or so-called mechanical starter which is adapted to be engaged by one of the wheels of an automobile 3 in entering and departing from the garage. This tread mechanism consists of a pair of parallel rods 4 (Fig. 4), held down to the pavement by straps 5 or the like which provide bearings in which the rods are capable of turning.

These rods 4 have two arms 6 apiece which extend toward each other over the top of a main cross bar I with which they have loose contact. The arms are flattened at 8 to provide a better bearing contact. The main cross bar l is in the form of an inverted U, the legs 9 being slidably guided by sleeves ll] (Fig. 5) in which they are fitted, the sleeves being sunken in the pavement and ground and set in cement. Springs ll rest on the pavement and press upwardly against washers it! on the legs 9 and so indirectly aid in tending to keep a tread plate l3 elevated.

This tread plate actually comprises a pair of plates laid on the slanting arms 6, rods 4, bar I and braces ti which span the arms 6. These plates are suitably connected along the middle and to parts of the framework under them, for example by the manner of overlapping shown (Fig. 5). When the automobile wheel runs over the tread plate a depression occurs against the tension of the springs ll anda spring presently described, and this depression causes a bell-crank M to rock clockwise (viewing it from the position in Figs. 1 and 5). The central rod of the bellcrank has bearing in straps IS in which it turns, its two arms l6, 11 respectively contacting the nether side of the cross bar 1, and having a wire l8 connected thereto. This wire runs through a pipe l9, usually buried in the ground, toward the garage in which it emerges. The foregoing depression of the tread plate I3 causes a pull on the wire [8 to the left (arrow a, Fig. 1).

The emerging end of the wire l8 connects with the lower end of a rocker 2|) which is pivoted at 2| to a suitable support coming out from the side of the garage. A plunger 22 (Fig. 3) has a continuation 23 of the wire I8 connected to it as shown. The rocker works between stops 24. The plunger carries a spring 25, this being one of the springs previously alluded to. One end of it abuts a solid guide in which the plunger is reciprocable, the other end of it engaging a stop 21 on the plunger.

Depression of the bell-crank I4 causes a pull on the wire l8 as already stated, turning the rocker 20 clockwise (arrow b, Fig. 3) and compressing the spring 25. After the car has passed and the pressure on the tread plate is removed the compressed spring 25 will restore the mechanism to its original position.

At its upper end the rocker is notched at 28 to receive the tongue 29 (Fig. 2) of a lever 38. The rocker is regarded as the first element of that part of an automatically operable motor controlling mechanism which is situated within the garage. A pivot 3| (Fig. 2) supports the lever approximately midway of its length. The

other end of the lever is in position to engage one side of a switch arm 36. The free end of this arm works between a pair of studs 32 projecting from the side of an operating rod 33..

The lever 38 turns clockwise (arrow 0, Fig. 2) upon the clockwise turn of the rocker 2t), and thereby moves the operating rod 33 forwardly toward the doors of the garage. The lever is able to produce this movement only, the rod being returned by trip means later described.

The fact of the lever 30 being in contact with one side of the switch arm makes it possible for the switch arm to depart from the lever 30 when the operating rod 33 is moved by means (the manual means) other than the mechanical tread mechanism. It is by the movement of the operating rod in each of the opposite directions that a motor circuit is closed and opened.

Cranks 34 support the rod 33. The general direction of motion of the rod is longitudinally of the mechanism. Being supported by the cranks 34 its motion is slightly arcuate, but since the cranks are substantially erect (Fig. '7) andthe rod is carried by the top parts of them the arcuate effect is so slight on other parts depending on the operating rod as not to interfere with the operation. The operating rod could be mounted in fixed guides so as to partake of a rectilinear motion and so not be subject to any disadvantage which the cranks 34 might turn out to have.

Spaced a short distance from the studs 32 and on the operating rod 33 are double brackets 35 (Fig. 10).. These play a part in the manual operation of the operating rod. Trip arms 38, 39 loosely engage said rod (Fig. 10). For this purpose the rod has brackets 40 with holes in which the trip arms fit.

The trip arms 38, 39 extend from shafts 4|, 42 which are turnably mounted, one of the shafts being carried directly by the back-board 43, the other by a separate and adjustable bearing. These shafts also have pairs of prongs 44, (Fig. 10) which straddle sprocket wheels 48, 41. The trip arms 38, 38 are situated on one side of the board 43 (outside of the mechanism), while the prongs 44, 45 are situated on the other side -of the board, (inside of the mechanism). Longitudinal movement of the operating rod 33 will cause displacement of the prongs 44, 45 with respect to the sprockets, and displacement of the prongs will cause longitudinal movement of the operating rod.

A bottom piece 48 of the supporting frame provides the support for a reciprocator generally denoted 49 (Fig. 6), which has rollers 50 to run on. The reciprocator is of a general I-shape in cross section. It is part of what is herein called a reciproca-ble carriage, and it comprises upper and lower members 5|, 52 which are connected by a partition piece 53. Catches 54, 55 (Fig. 6) project inwardly of the reclprocator, respectively from the upper and lower members 5|, 52, being so spaced in the longitudinal direction as to assume positions at diagonally opposite points.

These catches are forked (Fig. 8), and the upper and lower flights of a chain 56 run between them. The chain is an endless chain, and it is applied to the sprockets 46, 41. The sprocket 48 is an idler. The sprocket 41 is driven, being fixedly carried by the shaft 51 of a worm gearing interposed between it and the shaft 58 of an electric motor 59 (Fig. 10).

Wires 80, 6| lead from the motor, one of them being connected with the switch arm 35, the other with a contact 62 (Figs. 2 and 10) carried by the supporting frame. The remaining end of the switch arm 35 is pivoted at 53 to an appropriate support, and when the operating rod 33 is moved as previously brought out, there will either be a circuit closure between the arm 38 and contact 62, or an opening of the circuit, depending on the direction of movement of the rod. One of the motor wires has a suitable source of electrical energy connected in it.

A shelf 64 supports the upper flight of the chain to prevent objectionable sagging. One of the chain pins, designated 65 (Figs. 6 and 7) is made longer than the others so as to project at each side of the chain. In a complete cycle of operation the pin 65 will engage the catch 54, the prongs 44, the catch 55 and the prongs 45, successively advancing the reciprocator 49 to the left (Fig. 6), reversing the position of the prongs 44, advancing the reciprocator to the right and reversing the position of the prongs 45. The four operations are not continuous, there being a break in between as is presently brought out.

A guide bar 86 keeps the reciprocator 49 in place, fitting in another space defined by its 1- construction in order to do so. This bar is attached to a support 81 which is carried by an end piece 68 of the supporting frame. The guide bar 65 is also attached to a block 59 which is mounted on the bottom piece 48, thus completing a sturdy supporting frame.

The top surfaces of this frame, more specifically the top surfaces of the board 43 and support 61. provide a slide for a pitman head 18. This pitman head is the other part of the previously mentioned carriage and is slidable longitudinally on the supporting frame, being kept in place by depending angle irons H or their equivalents. The pitman head provides pivotal sup ports at 12 (Fig. 9) for the inner ends of links 13 which reach out to the doors I to which they are pivotally connected at 14. Back and forth movement of the pitman head causes opening and closingkmovement of the garage doors by means of the The pitman head 18 is longitudinally slotted at 15 (Figs, 9 and 10). A double sided wedge 16 til projects through the slot I5, being part of a block 11, or its equivalent, fastened on the upper member 5I of the reciprocator which works immediately beneath the pitman head and independently thereof to a limited extent. That extent is measured by the diiference in length between the slot I5 and the block 11, the latter being approximately half as long as the slot. The reciprocator and pitman head of the reciprocable carriage are thus loosely coupled. A keeper I8 is attached to the pitman head at one side of the slot and midway of the length thereof.

This keeper is part of locking means for locking the doors I both in the closed and open positions. The locking means includes locking bars I9, 86 which are separately hinged at 8| to a part 82 of the garage framework. The free ends of these bars gravitate toward the motor controlling mechanism, toward which they may be limited in order to avoid the possibility of falling onto the chain 56. Said free ends go low enough to insure engagement with the top of the pitman head 10, and when the latter is locked by engagement of one side or the other of the keeper with the end of one or the other of the two locking bars it follows that the garage doors will be held either open or closed depending on the manner of engagement. V

Reverting to the chain 56, provision is made for tightening it by increasing the distance between the sprockets. The shaft 83 of the idler 46 is journaled in a bearing 84 (Fig. 10) which is slidably supported on the back-board 43 by a bracket 99 or its equivalent. A member I00, also carried by the back-board, rigidly supports a screw shaft IOI which is directed toward the bearing 84 and may have a loose fit in a hole therein. A nut I02 provides an abutment for one end of a spring I93 on the screw shaft. The other end of the spring abuts the bearing 84. It is merely necessary to turn the nut in one or the other direction thereby to increase or decrease the tension of the spring and so adjust the bearing 84. Adjustment of the adjacent shaft 4| is not necessary because of the improbability of ever setting the idler 46 out of range of the prongs 44.

' Up to this point the description is concerned with the automatically operable motor controlling mechanism. The motor 59 is also capable of manual control, and for that purpose one end of a lever.85 (Figs. 2 and 10) occupies the space between the double brackets 35, thereby enabling the lever to move the operating rod 33 each of its two ways. This lever is pivoted at 86, and its other end fits between studs 81 (Fig. 3) on a bar 88 which extends forwardly to a pivotal connection 89 with a lever 96. The lever is pivoted at 9|. The lever terminates in a handle 92, and by I shifting this handle in one or the other direction the free end of the lever is shifted correspondingly, and the operating rod 33 is moved correspondingly to close or open the motor circuit and so produce the same result as is produced by the tread mechanism as far as working the garage 10), whether by manual operational: the lever 99 or so-called mechanical operation at the tread plate I3. The pitman head I0 is always at the inner extremity of the controlling mechanism (in th innermost position of the garage) when the doors I are closed, and at the outermost position (Fig. 2) when the doors are open.

Consider the doors I as being closed (contrary to the showing in Figures 1 and 2), and that the automobile 3 is about to be backed out. The operator must shift the handle 92 clockwise (arrow (1, Fig. 1). Tracing this action through the lever 90, bar 88 and lever 85 it will be found that the operating rod 33 is moved forwardly (arrow e, Fig. 10) from an inward position at which it was left at the end of an earlier operation. This movement of the operating rod closes the switch at 36, 62 (Fig. 10) and starts the motor 59 whereupon the chain 56 travels in the direction of the arrows f (Fig. 6).

Go back a step:At the end of the foregoing earlier operation the trip arms 38, 39 were in the positions 93, 94 (Fig. 6) and their prongs 44, 45 in the positions 95, 96. These positions, as well as .the forwarding of the operating rod 33 to the circuit-opening position, were the result of the chain pin 65 acting on the prongs 45 and leaving them in the position 96, the ensuing opening of the motor circuit stopping the pin approximately on the radial line 91 (Fig. 6).

It is from there that the previousstatement of operation was taken up. Forward movement of the operating rod 33 closed the motor circuit and started the chain 56 in the directions of the arrows f, as previously stated, advancing the chain pin 65 to the position that it is now shown as assuming (Fig. 6), still on its way to the end of the opening cycle. The forward movement of the operating rod shifted the prongs 44, 45 to the position they now assume in full lines (Fig. 6).

Presently the pin 65 will round the sprocket wheel 46, bear down on the prongs 44 and gradually turn the shaft 4I clockwise until the position 95 is again assumed, the pin '65 sopping. approximately on the radial line 98. This moves the operating rod 33 inwardly (opposite to arrow c, Fig. 10), turns the shaft 42 (Fig. 6) clockwise by means of the trip arm 39 whereupon the prongs 45 reassume the position 96, and leaves the catch 54 approximately centered over the sprocket 46, the catch 55 being a short distance away to the right. The inward movement of the operating rod 33 also opens the switch and stops the motor 59, the doors I then being open all the way (Figs. 1 and 2) agreeing with the forward position of the pitman head III which it now assumes.

As soon as one of the wheels of the automobile depresses the tread plate I3 there will be a pull on the wire I8 (arrow 11, Fig. 1) which, when traced through the rocker 29 (Fig. 1) and lever 30 (Figs. 2 and 10), again moves the operaing rod 33 forwardly, closing the motor circuit and starting the chain 55 again. This time the chain pin 65 starts from the position on the foregoing radial line 98 (Fig. 6), shortly picking up the reciprocator 49 by engagement with the ca ch 55 and transporting it inwardly to the door closing position. The prongs 45 are restored to the full line position (Fig. 6) ready to be displaced to the position 96 at which the. moor is stopped.

The approach of the-automobile toward the garage 2 will start the same cycle cf operations upon depression of the tread plate l3, presuming the doors I to be closed. The action is sequential on this order:Repeated clockwise turnings of the manual lever 96 (Fig. 1) will successively open and close the doors I, provided the operator gives the controlling mechanism time to complete each-cyc1e. Should the lever 96 be reversed in the midst of a cycle the doors I would be stopped half-wayor at some other proportionate degree of closure.

Only successive depressions of the tread plate l3, spaced a sufiicient time interval apart, produce complete openings and closings of the doors. It is not possible to stop the doors half-way or at various positions between the full open and closed positions by depressing the tread plate in more or less quick succession. The reason for this difference lies in the way in which the levers 30, 85 (Fig. 2) are applied to the operating rod 33. The double brackets 35 permanently couple the operating rod to the lever system 85, etc. so that'the rod responds to each manual shift of the handle 92 (Figs. 1 and 3) in addition to the automatic functions of the trip arms 38, 39. While the studs 32 (Fig. 2) permanently couple the switch arm 36 to the operating rod, yet the fact of the lever 30 contacting only one side of the armmakes the operating rod 33 responsive to only one direction of motion of the lever 30, namely the clockwise direction (arrow 0, Fig. 2). The lever 30 is capable of circuit-closing movements only, the return of the rod 33 being automatically accomplished by the trip arms 38, 39.

Having opened the doors by means of the lever 90, closing follows by means of the tread plates l3. Subsequent opening can be caused either by operation of the tread plate or the lever 90. The beginning of the operation is reverted to in order to describe the action of the locking bars 19, 80..

The locking bar 80 (Fig. 11) is supposed to be blocking the keeper l8 and so holding the doors closed. At the initial advancement of the pin 65 from the position 91 (Fig. 6) into engagement with the catch 54, there was enough idle play measured by the available length of the slot 15 in the ensuing movement of the reciprocator 49 to enable the wedge 16 to advance under the free end of the locking bar 80 and lift it out of range of the keeper l8.

Shortly after this the block 11, of which the double wedge is a part, engaged the left end of the slot and carried the pitman head along with the reciprocator in the manner already fully brought out. When the doors I are finally stopped at the fully open position; reloeking occurs as between the keeper I8 and the locking bar 19 (Fig. 12) The idle movement of the reciprocator 49 at the beginning of the closing cycle again raises the locking bar (this time 19) out of range of the keeper 18 by means of its double wedge 16 and when connection with the pitman head 10 is established the pitman head and reciprocator travels inwardly as a unit.

I claim:--

1. A movable door, a reciprocable pitman head and connecting means between the door and pitman head, said pitman head having a slot, a reciprocator having a block occupy and being smaller than the slot providing delayed-motion means, a pair of locking bars and means above the pitman head to which they are movably connected in positions diverging from each other, a keeper on the pitman head with the opposite sides of which keeper the respective bars are engageable to lock the pitman head at the substantial end of each of its reciprocations, means to shift the reciprocator, the pick-up of the pitman head being delayed by the idle movement of the block in the slot, and means on the block for moving the locking bars thus releasing the keeper from such engagement during the delay. 2. A door operating mechanism comprising a door, an electric motor and means to actuate said mechanism by said motor, a switch for the motor, and an operating rod for controlling the switch, means for shifting the rod from either of two separated positions said means comprising actuating means at each of the two positions, two levers, means on the rod providing a loose but permanent connection of one end of one lever with the rod, means providing a break-connection between one end of the other lever and the rod, and separate connecting means between the opposite ends of the levers and the respective actuating means.

3. In adoor operating mechanism comprising a door, an electric motor and means to actuate said mechanism by said motor, a switch for the motor, an endless chain having a pin, sprockets over which the chain is trained, a shaft having prongs at one end straddling one of the sprockets to be engaged by the pin to turn the shaft, said shaft having a trip arm at the other end, an

operating rod for controlling the switch, and means by which the trip arm is connected with the operating rod, said turning of the shaft shifting the rod.

4. A movable door, a carriage and connecting means between the door and carriage, a motor and an electrical circuit in which it is connected said circuit including a switch, an operating rod for operating the switch, a rocker pivoted in proximity to said rod and having a separable connection with said rod, a wire leading from the rocker to a point remote from the door, tread mechanism connected with said wire at said remote point so that the pressure of .a vehicle on the tread mechanism turns the rocker into a switch-closing position, and resilient means having a connection to the rocker to resist said turning and to turn the rocker so as to separate its connection to the operating rod and to move the rocker into a position enabling a. switchopening when the weight is released from the tread mechanism.

5. For operating a movable garage door having a reciprocable carriage and connecting means between the closure and carriage, an endless drive chain, driver and idler sprockets to which the chain is applied providing two flights, said chain having a chain pin, a reciprocator in an encompassing position with respect to the chain, said reciprocator having means to connect it with the carriage and having catches stationed beside the respective flights of the chain, said catches being succesively engaged by the chain pin to move the reciprooator and carriage back and forth, a switch operating rod, means to move the operating rod first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, said means comprising a trip shaft adjacent to each sprocket, each shaft having a pair of prongs straddling the respective sprocket so as to be in the path of said pin, each shaft also having a trip arm, and means by which the trip arms are connected to said rod.

6. A movable closure, a carriage and connecting means between the closure and carriage, a motor and an electrical circuit in which it is connected said circuit including a switch, an endless chain having means by which it is driven by the motor and means by which the movements of the chain are transmitted to the carriage, an operating-rod for operating the switch, treadoperated means for shifting the operating rod in one direction to close the switch and start the motor, means associated with and operated by the chain for shifting the rod in the opposite direction to open the switch and stop the motor, said tread-operated means comprising arms and means providing bearings for the remote ends thereof, the opposite ends of the arms being in proximity to each other, a tread plate superposed on the arms so that the weight of a vehicle will depress the-plate to rock the arms, a crank structure to which the pressure is transmitted and resilient means resisting the pressure, a rocker connected with the operating rod, and a wire connecting the rocker with the crank structure. 5

JOSEPH W. SCROGGS. 

